Player Lowdown

Strengths Weaknesses

STRENGTHS: Tall with an adequate build...keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage with a natural over-the-top delivery...adequate arm strength when stepping into his throws, controlling his ball speed well...improved footwork and base to create the framework to get the most out of his arm...sees the field well to scan and make precise reads in his drops...accurate deep ball thrower with terrific touch on bucket tosses.

Not afraid to test small windows and gives his man a chance to attack the ball...tough and bounces back after hits...shy personality, but in full control of the offense...calm and always appears under control, getting his teammates lined up correctly and making checks at the line...develops strong chemistry and feel with his targets, which stems from his practice habits...son of a high school head coach and carries himself like a professional, leading by example with natural leadership intangibles.

Strong football resume as a four year starter and first three-year captain in school history (43 career starts), owning 18 Oregon State passing records, including career touchdown throws (83)...holds the Pac-12 career record for passing yards (13,600).

WEAKNESSES: Struggles to consistently drive the ball if he doesn't step into his throws or have a firm base, struggling to add juice or adjust his trajectory...improved footwork and pocket maneuverability but neither are a strength as he struggles to re-set his eyes once moved from his spot...experienced with his three, five and seven step drops, but sluggish with his depth.

Struggles to recognize the blitz and doesn't do enough after the snap to evade pressure, failing to speed up his process...hesitant when the pocket shows cracks and looks like a deer in headlights...holds the ball too long with a suspect internal clock that can be read with a sun dial...tends to telegraph his throws, staring down his targets...pre-determines passes and makes puzzling decisions that end with too many defenders at the other end of his passes...doesn't have the mobility to improvise or keep plays alive, needing to slow himself and set his feet before pushing the ball.

Load-up delivery isn't a glaring issue, but he lacks an efficient release with small hands...lean with room to add muscle mass on his frame...loses confidence too easily, causing poor ball placement and keeping him from processing what he sees quick enough when things go downhill...not the same quarterback without Brandin Cooks as his safety valve...career 46.4% passer on 3rd down attempts with a 21-16 TD-INT ratio.

In Our View: Mannion has an attractive resume as a four-year starter with impressive production in a pro-style offense. He has adequate arm strength and accuracy, but isn't above average in either category as the ball doesn't shoot off his hand. Mannion is too methodical with his movements and tends to deteriorate when the pocket crumbles, struggling with his pocket awareness, internal clock and improvising skills, which is a recipe for disaster in the NFL.

He is a high character human being with exceptional make-up and intangibles - teams will never have to worry about him off the field or not putting in enough work. Mannion has shown promise over his career, but tends to be too careless with his decisions and lacks the consistency against pressures to be a consistent NFL starter. If he can learn how to speed up his process for the NFL level, Mannion can carve out a Shaun Hill type of career, but if he doesn't, his career will likely follow a Tony Pike-like path.

--Dane Brugler

Player Overview

A four-star quarterback recruit out of high school, Mannion committed to Oregon State as a junior in high school because of the Beavers' coaching staff and the offense was similar to what he ran in high school.

After redshirting in 2010, Mannion beat out incumbent starter Ryan Katz (who later transferred) as a redshirt freshman, passing for 3,328 yards, which was third best in school history at the time. He showed improvement in 2012 as a sophomore, but missed a few games due to a knee injury and Cody Vaz did a nice job in relief and didn't concede the job when Mannion returned healthy. However, Mannion beat out Vaz and was named the starter for the 2013 season opener and had a record-breaking year, passing for a Pac-12 record 4,662 yards with a 37-15 TD-INT ratio, earning All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention honors.

With Brandin Cooks leaving early for the NFL Draft, Mannion's production dipped as a senior in 2014, including a career-low 263.7 yards per start, 62.3% completions and only 15 passing scores. He won the 2014 Manning Passing Academy Air-It-Out Challenge in July 2014 and served as a counselor at the Nike Elite 11 quarterback Camp, winning the counselor's challenge. He earned an invitation to the 2015 Senior Bowl.

05/05/2015 - A closer look at the Rams' nine picks: Round 3/89 - Sean Mannion, QB, 6-6, 229, Oregon State...The Pac-12's all-time leading passer, Mannion has excellent size and football smarts. He worked hard during pre-draft workouts to improve his footwork and delivery, so it will be important to see if he reverts to bad habits. - The Sports Xchange